Final 1 - Ceramic terms

Question 1

Art and technology of making objects of lay treated with intense fire so that clay = hard

Answer 1

Ceramics

Question 2

A granite-type decomposed rock that contains minerals and organic matter is?

Answer 2

Clay

Question 3

Stages of clay (from wettest to driest)

Answer 3

1. Slip (mud)
2. Plastic
3. Soft leather
4. Medium leather
5. Firm leather
6. Bone dry

Question 4

What stage of clay should be used to roll coils?

Answer 4

Soft plastic

Question 5

Clay that is dry enough not to stick to your fingers, but soft enough to work without cracking.

Answer 5

Plastic

Question 6

Clay that is completely dry, whitish in color, very fragile and breaks easily.

Answer 6

Bone dry

Question 7

Shaping clay by squeezing between the thumb and fingers.

Answer 7

Pinch

Question 8

Rolling clay into rope-like strips which can be joined to make pots, bowls, and sculptures.

Answer 8

Coils

Question 9

Clay is rolled or pressed into a sheet like piece and then joined or formed.

Answer 9

Slab

Question 10

A special heat resistant oven that is used to fire clay at extremely high temperatures.

Answer 10

Kiln

Question 11

A glassy coating composed of primarily silica (sand) and forms a waterproof surface.

Answer 11

Glaze

Question 12

The technique of roughening pieces of clay with a needle tool prior to joining.

Answer 12

Scoring

Question 13

A soupy mixture of clay and water. It is applied to scored surfaces before joining.

Answer 13

Slip / Mud

Question 14

Joining clay by scoring, adding slip, applying a small coil of clay over the seam, and smoothing the clay over the seam to prevent parting is called?

Answer 14

Welding

Question 15

Used in ceramics to carry, store, and transfer a piece that is in the building stage.

Answer 15

Bats

Question 16

Unfired clay objects are called?

Answer 16

Greenware

Question 17

Clay that has been fired once is called?

Answer 17

Bisque

Question 18

The act of folding and pressing clay over on itself in order to mix clay and eliminate air bubbles from the clay body.
(It’s like kneading dough to make bread)

Answer 18

Kneading

Question 19

Mixing and de-airing clay by cutting it diagonally and slamming the pieces together.

(Slamming it down on the mat — used when trying to piece smaller chunks of clay into one giant blob)

Answer 19

Wedging

Question 20

The first firing step in the process of creating ceramics (if keeping). A bisque piece is hard and very strong, and can no longer be reverted to the plastic state. After this stage, the ware is ready for a final glaze fire.

Answer 20

Bisque fire

Question 21

The last fire that has glaze applied.

Answer 21

Glaze fire

Question 22

Creating something that appears neat and professional looking requires time and attention to details.

Answer 22

Craftsmanship

Question 23

True or False?
A bag is unnecessary. As long as your locker door is closed, your project will not dry.

Answer 23

False - It will dry if you don’t cover it!

Question 24

True or False?
What percentage of clay is water? 12%?

Answer 24

True!

Question 25

True or False? Clay shrinks as it dries because of water evaporation.

Answer 25

True

Question 26

True or False? Repeating shapes or a design is called a pattern.

Answer 26

True

Question 27

True or False? The best stage of clay for adding texture is when it is bone dry.

Answer 27

False! - It won't stick. The best time is to do it when it's in its plastic stage or semi leather hard.

Question 28

True or False? Form is a principle of art that refers to the overall shape, such as a cylinder or cube.

Answer 28

True?

Question 29

True or False? A thin piece of clay will dry out faster than a thick piece of clay.

Answer 29

True!

Question 30

True or False? 5 layers of glaze is ideal for a shiny, finished appearance.

Answer 30

False. You only need three.

Question 31

True or False? You can recycle clay after it’s fired (bisque).

Answer 31

False. Once it's fired, all the water from it is gone. It will stay the same shape even if you cover it with a towel.

Question 32

True or False? Wearing a mask is optional in class.

Answer 32

True!

Question 33

How do you recycle clay?

Answer 33

Clay can be recycled by wrapping it with a wet towel and leaving it for an extended amount of time. Then it can be thrown back into the pugger. If it's still not soft enough, leave it soaked in water till it does.

Question 34

If your clay has not been prepared properly and has air bubbles in it, what will happen to it when fired? (and it's not completely dry inside)

Answer 34

EXPLODES! KABOOM!

Question 35

How do you weld?

Answer 35

You have two coils. Take a tool like spatula and flatten the side of the coils smoothly together. I like to fill in the gap between the two coils by pressing down on their sides. I keep doing it till the side looks like a smooth wall of clay.

Question 36

One way to join coils together is to…..

Answer 36

For coils, it's recommended to weld them instead of scoring (which is recommended for attaching stuff normally). That way the coils aren't too disrupted. I also sometimes like to add a little bit of clay where the two coils meet if there's still a little gap.

Question 37

What object can you use to "score" a piece of clay? (other than a knife)

Answer 37

Pencil, anything pointy

Question 38

If your project becomes too firm to work with, describe what you can do to make it softer.

Answer 38

You can cover it with a wet towel! Check back on it every once in awhile because you don't want it to be too soft.

Question 39

What is the anatomy parts of a vase?

Answer 39

The bottom is the base, then it goes up to its belly/body (the most round part), then its shoulders (before the neck that makes it smaller), then the actual neck, and lip at the very top protruding a bit.

Question 40

What can you add to clay to make it more workable and plastic?

Answer 40

WATER. H2O

Question 41

Before glazing, what do you need to do to your piece?

Answer 41

Rinse it with water to get all the dust out.

Question 42

What tools do you use to make a slab?

Answer 42

A rolling pin, a slabmat, two identical rulers, and muscles.

Question 43

What is slip made of?

Answer 43

H2O and clay.

Question 44

What does the pugger do?

Answer 44

Churns all the leftover clay and makes it into soft slabs of clay for later usage!